A knee joint prosthesis typically comprises a femoral component and a tibial component. The femoral component and the tibial component are designed to be surgically attached to the distal end of the femur and the proximal end of the tibia, respectively. The femoral component is further designed to cooperate with the tibial component in simulating an articulating motion of an anatomical knee joint.
In one application, a tibial component includes a modular tibial tray connected to a modular tibial stem and implanted at the proximal tibia. Typically during a tibial preparation procedure, portions of the proximal tibia may be resected to define a surface for accepting the tibial tray. In addition, a recess may be prepared in the tibial bone to accept the tibial stem. Typically, the tibial stem is assembled to the tibial tray ex-vivo prior to implanting onto the proximal tibia. In one example, a mallet is used to couple the tray to the stem.
In some instances it is inconvenient to couple implants such as the tibial tray to the tibial stem ex-vivo prior to implanting with a given bone such as on a proximal tibia. What is needed is a system for providing convenient and robust in-vivo assembly of implants.